Ariella Kaeslin, the first Swiss gymnast to medal at an international competition, is set to take part in the 2020 Swiss Epic. The sporty all-rounder will represent Davos Klosters.

In 2009, a year on from representing Switzerland in the Beijing Olympics, Ariella Kaeslin became the first Swiss gymnast to win international medals. She achieved the feat by securing bronze in the individual all-round competition and gold in the vault, during the 2009 European Championships. Since her retirement from competitive gymnastics in 2011, following a World Championship silver and another European Championship bronze medal, Kaeslin has turned her athletic talents to rowing, skiing, surfing, triathlons and mountain biking.

It has not always been an easy journey for her though, despite her natural abilities. “After 20 years of gymnastics indoors I now love to do sports outside. However, the entry into mountain biking was hard” Kaeslin confessed. “As a gymnast I had the VO2 max of a hummingbird. I didn’t know or like the feelings you have to ensure when you train for endurance sport. Sensations like burning lungs, sore legs and the taste of blood in your mouth were alien to me. At first, I was really afraid of going downhill too. The vault and the parallel bars in gymnastics are always the same. The trails however are totally different; you have to adjust to new obstacles again and again. Slippery roots, big stones, narrow trails on slopes, I had to get used to that first. Sometimes it’s still a love-hate relationship. But the feeling I get when I have conquered a climb to 2 000 meters and then get to sit in a beautiful alpine hut with a coffee and a handful of nuts is priceless.”

Having spent her youth in the highly structured world of gymnastics training it is unsurprising that Kaeslin is taking a more relaxed approach to preparations for the Swiss Epic. “I don’t have a training plan, I just train as I like” she laughed. “My inner drive for movement should be enough to prepare for the Swiss Epic, I hope. I’m on the mountain bike, road bike, jogging, crossfitting and much more every day. All of those activities make me smile, now that my VO2 max is higher, while I’m doing them so it doesn’t feel like training.”

Kaeslin will be carrying that same infectious enthusiasm into the race. “I am looking forward to sharing the trails with so many sporty people, the emotions, the suffering and the beautiful landscapes of Graubünden” she said. “Above all though I’m looking forward to riding my favourite trail: The Panorama Trail in Davos!”